The High Performance Lifestyle

Amnesia is real – I had it.

So I planned to meet my business partner at the gym on a Saturday at 9:30am. My wife went with me (to do her own workout) and I drove to the gym.

I remember backing out of the garage, and then just walking by the front desk at the gym after scanning in. And that’s where things got spotty.

I don’t actually remember the drive to the gym or parking… actually I don’t even remember my wife getting in the car after backing out of the garage!

Literally all I can remember at this point was walking into the gym.

But first, let me tell you how it usually goes… After walking into the gym, I put my stuff away in boxed shelves at the gym (jacket, workout bag, etc.) then head over to the treadmill to warm-up and get my steps in.

Here’s the last text I remember sending to my workout partner…

“Just walk in getting on treadmill.”

And that was it.

That was it until I was a few hours in at the ER.

So now let me tell you what DID happen,  according to my workout partner. (My wife was also there doing her own workout separately).

• We hit the treadmills to warm-up for about 15 minutes.
• We benched.
• We did some barbell rows.
• We did some kettlebell work and battling ropes.
• I asked my wife how many sets she had left on leg extensions… and then I asked her again a couple minutes later.

But the only “red flag” they both said during this gym time was that I kept asking repetitive questions – but in a normal way. At first, my wife thought I was just joking around. By the end of the workout when it was time to go, she realized something was really off when I wasn’t joking around and literally kept asking her the same questions and about stuff that just happened 10 seconds ago.

She decided to drive us home thinking my blood sugar was just low and perhaps getting food in me would do the trick.

When it didn’t, she decided to bring me to the ER.

All I remember was a few hours AFTER being there. That’s when I slowly started to remember things – but only from that point forward.

By then, I already had a CT scan, an I.V. drip put in, and blood work done.

My wife had the wherewithal to document and take some video during this time. Still no recollection at this point…

The video was taken at the standalone ER. A few hours later I was transferred to the main hospital by ambulance and had additional testing done and stayed overnight for observation.

The docs ruled out seizure and stroke and said it was Transient Global Amnesia.

So what is Transient Global Amnesia?

It’s a sudden, temporary episode where the brain can’t form new memories for a period of time. You’re awake, you can talk, you can function (I mean a did a full workout with my friend), but nothing new really “sticks,” which is why people often repeat the same questions or seem confused about what just happened. Then, usually within a few hours, it clears up, leaving a blank spot in your memory and not much else.

The simple breakdown:

• It comes on suddenly and looks scary from the outside.

• You stay conscious and physically capable.

• Short-term memory basically stops recording.

• It typically lasts a few hours, almost always less than 24.

• There’s no evidence of stroke, seizure, or permanent damage.

• Most people never experience it again. (fingers crossed)

In other words, it’s pretty unsettling while it’s happening (after finding out about it), but considered rare, temporary, and benign once the testing rules everything else out. And it did.

I’m good now, but this experience definitely piques my interest even more about the brain and human physiology in general.

/Rich

Hey! Just turned 52, so here are 52 things you may or may not know about me…

1. I do some form of exercise or mobility daily.
2. I take magnesium every night.
3. I meditate/pray every morning.
4. I listen to a meditation while going to bed every night.
5. I laugh every day.
6. I read daily.
7. I use AI daily.
8. I got a (rescue) dog for my birthday last year. She’s a labrabull and her name is Poppy.
9. I’m that guy who buys up domains for many of my ideas.
10. I love coffee.
11. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease earlier this year.
12. I competed in bodybuilding shows in my early 20s.
13. I first used creatine monohydrate in 1994 (and off/on ever since).
14. A live event my senior year in HS got me into NLP, hypnosis, subconscious mind type stuff.
15. I created the workout programming for my gym for over a decade.
16. My first car was a 87 Honda Civic. Lowered, wheels, exhaust, intake… all the fun stuff.
17. I met my wife at the gym.
18. We have 3 kids. The youngest is in college.
19. University of Houston is my alma mater.
20. I own a supplement company with my business partner.
21. I moved to Birmingham, AL without ever visiting first.
22. Marketing and business are fun to me.
23. I’m a supplement junkie.
24. I love writing/creating.
25. My shoulder miraculously healed a few years ago.
26. It was immediate and happened during a 21-days of Prayer & Fasting I do twice a year.
27. I used to own a 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra. (Last of the Fox-body.)
28. I play the drums and have an early generation Roland Vdrums kit.
29. I bought a bass guitar to teach myself how to play.
30. I tell new personal trainers to focus on building their email list.
31. I swing my steel mace or kettlebell every morning. But it’s not part of my workout for the day.
32. I like building custom GPTs and apps.
33. I dictated this list while doing zone two cardio on the treadmill.
34. I’m about to release my latest e-book, Anabolic Recomp as of this writing.
35. The ECA stack was my go to cutting combo for supplements back in the day.
36. I was so into human performance and nutrition, I wrote my final paper in college about it. I got an A.
37. I grew up in Southern California.
38. I’ve been using ChatGPT since it came out over 3 years ago.
39. I listen to a podcast or watch YouTube to learn everyday during my walks.
40. I’m a lifelong learner.
41. I love reading.
42. I created a brutal workout I do every year on my birthday.
43. I wear black tees almost daily during the workweek (I have a lot of them).
44. I love slapstick comedy.
45. I still can’t grow a full mustache.
46. I actually do have a pair of cowboy boots.
47. I use a steel mace or kettlebell every morning during the workweek for my daily 100 reps.
48. I can be a bit “woo.”
49. I’m flat-footed.
50. Power washing is meditative for me.
51. RUSH is my favorite band.
52. I write a newsletter for men over 50. https://50andJacked.com